The Dawning of a New Chapter (A Swan Queen Ficlet)
by juicecupswanqueen
Summary: The Evil Queen has been defeated. Emma and Regina finally have a sweet moment to themselves, enjoying that they can finally begin a new chapter in their lives as each other's true love.


**Story Summary:** The Evil Queen has been defeated. Emma and Regina finally have a sweet moment to themselves, enjoying that they can finally begin a new chapter in their lives as each other's true love. This is one of the ways I like to envision Swendgame coming about.

 **A/N:** This is a Swan Queen Happily Every After. I woke up this early this morning, and laid in bed, inspired and loving Swan Queen. So I grabbed my phone and just proceeded to write for the next two hours, as the pug snored on and with my sleeping woman's arms wrapped around my middle. Not bad surroundings to write fics of love in.

 _ **For Jenny.**_

* * *

"I love your hair."

Emma smiled against the covered bosom and then kissed the tip, which peaked and hardened through the fabric. She set her chin upon it as she looked up at Regina who dipped her own chin to gaze at Emma with all the love they had made the night before still present in her eyes.

"My hair?" Emma's answer was on a soft roll of laughter. She hadn't known if they had woken up at the same time that morning or not, but she had noticed her son's other mother was awake when she felt Regina's adept fingers stroking the back of her hair.

The bedroom was aglow with morning light, the dawning of a new day and a new chapter for the lovers who languidly laid in each other's arms, hands offering soothing brushes.

"Yes. The way it cascades all around your shoulders in glorious waves." Regina directed her eyes at the ceiling again. "I like when you have it up in a messy ponytail as well."

With a happy, short hum in response, Emma laid her cheek back on Regina's chest and even from here she could hear and feel the strong thrumming of a beating heart.

"Glorious waves, huh?" She chuckled and gave the woman beneath her a cherishing squeeze. "Someone woke up in a slightly poetic mood."

"Well, don't get used to it. It's not a usual thing." Emma could hear the good humor in that sexy, rich timbre that she knew she would never tire of. Even when it was filled with biting sarcasm, Emma still secretly found it sexy. Wasn't that just another testament of true love?

"How is it today?"

"It's fine, Emma. Everything's fine."

Emma's lips thinned in a line and she hugged Regina tighter to her. "I don't know what would have happened if it hadn't worked."

"No point thinking about it. It did work. And it took care of quite a lot. Answered a lot of questions."

Emma moved her body upward wanted to see Regina now. She perched her head on a flattened palm and crooked elbow. Her face was close to Regina's and she resisted the urge to press her lips to the corner of Regina's mouth.

"Not for me. I think I knew. Deep down, I had known for a while. I just… didn't want to ruin anything. I didn't want to disappoint my parents. I didn't want to make my son feel awkward." She looked at the short haired brunette beneath her and cautiously traced the line of her clavicle. "I didn't want to ruin things with you, Regina. Or take you away from your happy ending. It never hit me to think that I could actually be it."

"Idiot."

"I know that now."

"Well, it took you long enough."

Emma's brows rose high on her head. "It's not like you were running to me declaring your love. I clearly remember telling you _I love you_ first."

Regina thought of that night. The night she had confronted her former evil self, intending to save Henry. The Evil Queen had taken him, claiming he was hers.

"I didn't say the words back, Emma, but I felt them deeply. You have to know that."

"Well, duh," Emma gestured with a head nod at their legs entertained beneath the sheets and the memory of the intimacies shared during their first night of passion. "But still you approached the Evil Queen alone."

There was hurt in her voice and Regina cupped a pale cheek in her hand, giving it an appeasing caress so that the overwhelming moisture forming in those green eyes would not fall.

"I know. I'm sorry. But I couldn't bear having you come with me and losing you. Henry was already in danger and she was becoming stronger and more powerful. I knew I had to try and do this alone. I started it all. I had to finish it."

"Yeah, you finished it alright." The bitter disapproval was evident and Emma's eyes became cold. "Instead _I_ had to watch her pull your heart out and crush it, Regina."

A lone tear escaped and Emma's voice trembled now slightly recalling the event that would forever be etched in her mind as the worst moment in her life.

"Emma, it was the only way I saw at the time to save everyone. When I knew she wouldn't give Henry up, I goaded her to do it. I knew she wanted him for herself and knowing she could never have him would push her over the edge." Gently Regina tucked a tendril of that hair she loved behind the curve of Emma's ear and affectionately gave the lobe a tender tug. "I remember what that felt like so many years ago."

Emma ignored Regina's hinting at their tumultuous past and that first year she had come to Storybrooke. "But do you know of the complete…" Emma stammered looking for the right word, another tear falling, "… _anguish_ I felt watching you crumble to the ground?! The _horror_ on Henry's face, watching you die? What about what we had to go through?"

Regina was crying now too as she recalled what went through her mind. "I _do_ know. Because yours and Henry's tortured cries were that last things I heard, Emma." With a sob stuck in her throat, Regina swallowed it and continued because if she had to do it all over again, she would. "But when I saw that the Evil Queen was also fading, that she was dying, I knew you and Henry would be safe! I couldn't regret any of it. I knew you would take care of our son."

On some internal level Emma understood and would have sacrificed her life in a heartbeat if it meant keeping Regina and Henry safe. She had done that already as a matter of fact. But now the stakes were definitely higher. Now that she knew and admitted exactly how much the woman beside her meant to her, she was never letting her go. Sternly, Emma replied, "That's _three_ times now Regina that you've left Henry in my care without you. Don't do that again."

"Three?" Regina frowned quizzically.

"One was the trigger 'tell Henry it wasn't too late for me' bullshit." Regina raised an eyebrow at the blonde's colorful word. "Then the time you erased our memories and sent us off to New York."

"Um, I don't remember you complaining about the trigger incident, and _hello!_ You and Henry would have died _both_ times."

"And then nearly a month ago when you decided to defeat the Evil Queen without me."

"In my defense, I hadn't planned to die that night. Words became heated and the situation escalated. I was trying to trick her but when my plans were going south and she was adamant about taking Henry away I had to act. So I pissed her off enough…"

"To kill the both of you?!"

Regina flashed a sardonic expression at her.

"As I said, it wasn't ideal but it was effective!"

"Thank _God_ my parents and Zelena were hot on my heels!" Emma threw herself onto her back. She remembered her and Henry being found crouching over Regina's body, both weeping uncontrollably. She recalled twin cries of pain from both her mother and Zelena. Even her father's eyes had misted.

"I am so sorry, Emma." Now Regina was hovering over Emma, kissing the tears away while wiping her own. "But look. It's over. And I am very much alive to annoy you another day."

They both smiled at that. Even Emma couldn't keep the warmth from seeping into the moment. She sighed resolutely. They had the rest of their lives to be together now.

"Thanks to Zelena for being there to half my heart and save the day." It was ironic to Emma that the one woman who had killed her first love and the father of her son, would be the woman who saved her true love and was now her son's cool and, slowly becoming, _treasured_ aunt.

"Yeah," Regina joked, "My sister deserves a cookie."

Emma leveled herself with Regina, propping on her side. "She deserves more than that, Regina. Much more. She gave you back to us. Even though she had a personal stake in it all, you being her sister, I am still eternally grateful."

"I'll be sure to tell her in Zumba class later."

Emma snorted. "You guys are nuts." With a quick kiss, Emma quipped, "You and Zelena are really getting in to this gym membership my parents gave you."

"It started out as us helping your mom lose weight."

"Imagine. The Evil Queen, The Wicked Witch and Snow White hogging up the Cardio machines together."

"It helps work off tension."

"Pumping iron. That works off tension." Emma flexed her bicep muscle and Regina nearly squealed in delight, the memory of Emma's hard toned body pleasuring her for the first time last night.

"You won't hear any argument for me, dear. I'm very grateful for heavy weights giving me this body to worship." Regina placed a kiss to the firm, bulging arm and then bit down causing Emma's eyes to darken.

"Speaking of the Evil Queen...".Emma began, shifting Regina's body beneath hers again.

"She is right back in here where she belongs, well contained and where I can keep an eye on her."

"Good."

Regina smiled reassuringly. She had learned her lesson and had accepted her own darkness. It was never the darkness that was keeping her from being happy anyway. It was not being honest about the truest of feelings deep down; that she was in love with Emma Swan.

Now everything was out in the open. No more secrets. No more fear. She and Emma had each other now.

"You know," Emma revisited the previous topic, "I have a few more ideas about working off tension."

"Oh?" Regina played coy but inside she was positively thrilled with the promise displayed on Emma's face. "I'd be very interested in what you have to say about this."

"I can do you one better and demonstrate." Emma's hands slipped under the hem of the camisole Regina was wearing and started slowly pushing it up, exposing olive toned flesh. Her hand under the fabric covered and kneaded the swelling breast and the aroused bud poked against her palm. "But you'll have to take your top off.

Regina's bright wide smile greeted her and she dispensed with her top, pulling it over her head, balling it up and throwing it over the younger woman's shoulder with a smirk. Emma's mouth dried at the sight of dusky breast tips tightening to the exposed air, though she hoped maybe she had something to do with the reaction also. She embraced the woman, brushing their nakedness together.

"Don't ever leave me again, Regina. Ever."

"Emma. We share a heart now. I'm not going anywhere. Wherever you are, I will be too." Regina guided Emma's head down between her breasts where Emma placed a devoted kiss over the healthy throbbing muscle inside that chest. Half the heart that she was born with now belonged to Regina. "I'm all yours."

"Damn right you are."

And together their mouths met in a heated kiss alleviating all and any doubt that they belonged to each other, happily ever after.

 **THE END**


End file.
